Our View: New study links training with skills

Tuesday

Jan 14, 2014 at 2:01 AM

State Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz over the years has often told us that the most frustrating part of assisting veterans in finding work is the difficulty in relating military job experience to work in the civilian job market.

Employers may not immediately see the value of an infantry solider to their workplace, especially if they only looking at a resume or job application and not the individual.

But that is about to change thanks to the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. The center recently completed an extensive review that connects the dots between military training and civilian job requirements.

One of the more important recommendations is for the state to ease licensing requirements so that veterans with specific skills can apply those skills in civilian occupations such as the health field, transportation and other jobs requiring state licenses without reinventing the wheel. The report identifies 29 of the 32 most common MOSes (military occupational specialties) that are in alignment with state licensing requirements.

It’s difficult to comprehend why its taken so long for anyone to make the connection between the military training and the licensing requirements before. As Margaret Middleton, co-founder and executive director of the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, said when releasing the report, “It’s much easier to find a veteran a job when you know exactly what that veteran is trained and able to do.”

Granted, there are some military “skills” that are not easily adapted to the civilian world, such as a sniper, but that shouldn’t be a reason to overlook what the individual brings to the table. The military runs on team work, dedication and commitment to the task at hand, and a determination to be the best that one can be. Who wouldn’t want an employee like that on the payroll?

Unemployment levels for returning veterans from the two Gulf Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is nearly 10 percent compared to national and state unemployment levels closer to 7 percent.